Taye Diggs has starred in some of our favorite films and TV shows, from The Best Man and Brown Sugar, to Private Practice and Empire. While fans have loved to watch him work his magic on screen, some weren’t too keen on his relationship choices.
After becoming a fan favorite among Black audiences, some sisters were disappointed when they found out he was married to fellow actress Idina Menzel, a white woman. Though the pair had known each other for years before getting hitched in 2003, some felt Diggs’ interracial marriage was a slap in the face to his mostly Black fan base.
Though Menzel and Diggs later divorced, the actor said he’s dealt with pain and bitterness toward Black women who still give him a hard time.
“To this day, I still get, ‘I thought you only like white girls?’” the actor said during a recent interview with Van Lathan on “The Red Pill Podcast.” Though he’s been in a relationship with biracial actress and model Amanza Smith for the past few years, Diggs said he’s tired of dispelling the myth.
“It doesn’t matter how I explain myself,” he said, “there’s always going to be someone talking.”
Because of the criticism he’s received over the years, Diggs said he’s now in a place where he doesn’t care what people think about his dating choices, but he admitted still harbors some resentment about how he was treated.
“Deep down inside [there’s resentment]. I don’t wanna say I suppress it, but I just watch it. When it happens to you personally, even though you understand the logic, there’s trauma there,” he said.
(Skip to the 23 minute mark to hear the beginning of the conversation)
“I don’t know if I can ever mess with a white girl now,” Diggs continued. “I don’t like that. That goes against who I am as a person. I feel like I’ve had deal with that so long it has changed what I think I like, what I’m attracted to.”
Over on Twitter, people had strong reactions to Diggs’ assertion that he no longer feels comfortable dating white women.
After acknowledging that Black women are one of the most disrespected and disparaged groups in America, which prompts some to feel strongly about Black men who date outside their race, Diggs offered some advice.
“In order for us as a people to move forward is to learn how to love yourself and to not make excuses,” he said. “The more time you spend pointing fingers the less time you’re going to grow as a person and the less you’re going to be able to move forward.”
